Learning through Service
Becoming a Great Teaching Assistant
Background
I started as a teaching assistant, or a "TA", during my first semester of freshman year. I've always liked when my skills could help other people in tangible ways, so it was natural for me to see what I could do to give back to the world that raised me. Naturally, the best job to take is one that you have specialized skills in, so being a TA was perfect.
The Machine Shop
The first position I held was in the machine shop. As a freshman, you have limited skills, but the training to become a machine shop TA is small enough that I learned it all during my first month of part-time work. This was an excellent introduction into teaching and was where I learned that it is incredibly rewarding to pass on knowledge as a teaching assistant. I was a TA there for the duration of my freshman year.
MEGN200: Programming & Hardware Interface
After my year abroad, I came back to the machine shop but the new shop manager decided that he'd rather train new, unexperienced TAs rather than have me back (yes I'm salty), so instead I looked to other classes. I started with MEGN200 during the second semester of my junior year. This was my first time teaching more academic material while staying in a hands-on environment. Through my time teaching the course and my strong background in electrical engineering, I've been a go-to resource for the course to help improve and refine it. I took a break from this class during my first semester of my senior year but returned for the second.
MEGN471: Heat Transfer
Heat transfer might be the most difficult and most hated class in all of the mechanical engineering curriculum, so it's no surprise that the department was having trouble finding a TA. As the person I am, I answered that call and I'm so happy I did. Don't get me wrong, the content is hard and I still slip up sometimes even after two semesters of teaching it and receiving an A when I took it the first time, but that had been more of a help than a hindrance. It has given me the sympathy to understand the students and use that sympathy to push the course in a direction that makes it more appealing to students. Now, I can confidently say that there are more students who liked the course than there were when I took it.
Sticks in a Bundle
There were two things I gained from being a TA: stronger communication skills and the ability to change the world around me. When I was answering a student's question, I had to view their problem from their perspective and formulate an answer that would make sense to them in a timely manner. This stressed my communication skills by ensuring that I understood what the student meant (as opposed to what they were saying) and I was able to give a clear response. The second thing I gained from being a TA, the ability to change the world, came later on. As I was finishing up school, I looked back to see what I had changed in the course. I created more teaching resources. I helped smooth out kinks that had formed from students' resentment for classes. I helped transition a class to using more professional and easily-available software. All of these and more has shown me that it's possible to make a meaningful impact with enough time and knowledge.
Evidence
While I didn't make much new content to be used in the future and I have little more than testimony to accredit my work as a TA, I do have two pieces of evidence to prove my effectiveness as a teaching assistant. Firstly, I am the proud winner of the John Steel Commemorative Service Award for the class of Spring 2022. This award is given to a graduating senior who "has displayed outstanding service to the Department of Mechanical Engineering during their time at Mines." While there are numerous people who contribute to the department, a major reason I believe that I was awarded this is because of how much heart I've put into teaching.
The second form of evidence I have are recitations that I made from scratch for MEGN 471 (Heat Transfer) during my last semester at Mines. These are linked below.